In the 21st century, half of all learning will be online. The opportunities are tremendous for teaching online. Discover how to plan, develop and teach an online course. Take home a ten step model for developing your online course. Experience one of the most advanced online classrooms for teachers. Learn how to create online audio lectures with slide shows. Plus, find out how self quizzes enhance learning.

See an animation, drop-and-drop exercise, and dynamite welcome pages. Engage in online discussion with other teachers. An instructor’s book, Advanced Teaching Online, is included.

One month course, includes book, William A. Draves and Mary Dereshiwsky, instructors.

Course Outline

Unit 1

How the Internet is Changing How We Learn

The Top 10 reasons cognitive information is delivered better by the Internet

Learning online

Learning in-person; what you cannot do on the Internet

How young people learn differently online

The Brain and Learning online

Unit 2

Building Your Online Course

The Ten Step Model

How knowledge is organized online

Building online content

Creating audio and video presentations

Development time and cost

Unit 3
Teaching Your Online Course

Facilitating online discussions

Creating a safe online learning environment

Responding to student questions and needs

How much time you should spend online

Evaluating your online course

Unit 4
Creating Assessment and Measuring Online Learning

Designing online assessment

Multiple assessments

Assessment as a learning tool

Grading in the 21st century

Best Practices in Online Teaching

About online learning

Online learning is a fun, enjoyable and very productive way to learn. Millions of people are learning online each year. You will engage with the instructor and other participants. You will get to know your instructor and other participants. You may make friends. It’s easy. It’s fun.

How the Course Works

It is easy to participate in your online course. After you register, you will be given a web address to go to get into your online classroom. You will have a password and use your email address and password to gain access.

Once inside the online classroom, here’s what you can expect.

Participate when you want

Participants can participate as little or as much as you want.
You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate.
For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different times a day, since its a week long course.

What you will do

For each Unit, you will:

Readings are assigned for each day from the textbooks provided at registration.

Have the option of accessing the online readings

Listen to the audio presentation for the Unit and view the slides

Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.

Discussion

The Discussion for each Unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time of the day or night.

Your instructor will log into the Discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants.

We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each day to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

William A. Draves is one of the foremost authorities in the world on teaching online. More than 6,000 faculty and teachers have taken this course. He did his graduate work in education, with an emphasis on adult education, from The George Washington University in Washington DC.

Draves has taught for over thirty years, including teaching at the graduate level. His books include "How to Teach Adults," the most popular book ever written on the subject, and "Energizing the Learning Environment."

He has been interviewed by Wired.com, The New York Times, NPR, NBC Nightly News, Washington Post, Virtual University News, Chronicle of Higher Education and other national media.

Draves is author of the book, "Advanced Teaching Online," which is used as the text book for this course. This course is part of the Certified Online Instructor (COI) designation, the most recognized certification for online teaching in higher education.

Mary Dereshiwsky is an expert in online teaching and creator of the online teaching technique “continuous engagement.” She is a professor at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she teaches graduate courses online. She has taught other instructors how to teach online for more than five years.

Dereshwisky has also been on the graduate faculty of Capella University, written on the topic of online teaching, and given presentations at national educational conferences on the topic. She critiques online courses for other instructors and is Chair of the Advisory Board for the Certified Online Instructor (COI) designation for the Learning Resources Network.

What some students say:

"Thank you for opening my mind to the possibilities! I will be teaching my first online course in October and was a bit nervous. You have all helped me to understand more and be open to the possibilities. It was great sharing this experience with you! Thanks Bill and Mary for sharing your expertise. I would recommend this course to everyone." - Phyllis Frederickson

"Thank you so much for all your preparation and well-presented information. It was eye opening and thought provoking." - Susan Banker

Course Objectives

To provide participants with an overview and understanding of how teaching online differs from in-person or face-to-face teaching;

To provide participants with the practical, how-to knowledge of how to plan, develop and construct an asynchronous teacher-led online course;

To provide participants with the knowledge of how to facilitate online discussion, engage online learners, and interact with online learners to enhance their learning;

To provide participants with an understanding of how knowledge is constructed and delivered online, and how the three basic elements of content, interaction and assessment relate to each other in creating the best online learning experience;

To provide participants with the competence and self confidence to teach effectively online.

Course Outcomes

At the end of the course, you will:

Get a ten step model and process for the development and teaching of an online course;

Be able to plan, develop and teach an online course with the knowledge skills gained from this course;

Have seen how a model online classroom functions;

Have engaged in sharing new ideas and the latest tips and techniques with other teachers.